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The Kids Are Coming!!! Free Photo Submissions See Page 8B nee Vidalia Wrestling Wins Region See Sports The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 Vol. 123 NO. 3 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia January 20, 2021 Defeat may serve as well as victory to sha1<£ the soul and let the glory out. -Edwin Markham News BYTES COVID-19 Vaccination Information Healthcare providers, first responders and persons age 65 plus, are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. The South Central Health District, which serves Montgomery, Wheeler and Treutlen counties, has moved to an appointment-only system for scheduling vaccinations. Call 478-275-6570 or visit southcentralhealth. org for information. The Southeast Health District, which serves Toombs County, also requires appointments. For information, call l-855-473-4374 or visit their website at www. sehdph.org. Meadows Health is administering vaccinations in Vidalia by appointment. Call 912-535-7233 for information. The State of Georgia's new COVID hotline is 844- 442-2681. SBA Reopens Protection Program The U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Paycheck Protection Program loan portal to PPP-eligible lenders with $1 billion or less in assets for first and second draw applications on January 15 and to all participating PPP lenders on January 19. See story on page 2A. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 5A Obituaries Page7A From the Record Page 10A Your Mind On Line Page 2A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 (or delivery! Meadows Boards Approve Sale to HCA By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com Almost a year and half after preliminary negotiations began, the acquisition of Vidalia’s Mead ows Health by Hospital Corpora tion of America (HCA) is moving toward completion. The deal is expected to be closed on or before April 30. Meadows Health Alliance, Inc., (MHA) the parent company of Meadows Regional Medical Center, signed a letter of intent for a merger with HCA in September 2019. Last week MHA, the Board of Directors of Meadows Health Regional Medical Center, and the Toombs County Hospital Author ity approved the sale of the medical center and most of its assets for $73 million. The transaction will not be finalized, however, until a public hearing is held and the proposed merger gains a nod from Geor gia’s State Attorney General. Since MRMC is a community-owned, not-for-profit facility being sold to a for-profit entity, the hearing and state’s approval are part of the pro cess for assuring the community Please see MRMC page 13A Local Patriot Recounts Events Of January 6 at Nation's Capital RALLY IN WASHINGTON - Heather Davis, right, a Vidalia businesswoman, stands with a friend in front of the Washington Monument on January 6. Davis attended the rally to support American ideals and the achieve ments and policies of President Trump. By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail. com Vidalia businesswoman Heather Davis defines herself as a patriot. That is why she decided to join others like herself in Wash ington, D.C., on January 6 in what she be lieved was an effort intended to reinforce American ideals and to be an acclamation of the policies and achievements of President Trump. What unfolded before her eyes was an experience she will never forget. Davis shared that she has been a reg istered Republican for most of her life but has not always identified with any political party. She said she votes for the actions and principles of the candidate and not neces sarily the party. “I voted for Trump because he was independent of our two-party sys tem. I have never called myself a Trump sup porter until recently. When you look back at his campaign and presidency, he has kept his promises to the American people.” She said of Trump, “He has been ridi culed, belittled and disrespected by the media, Democrats and Republicans alike for the entirety of his presidency. But he re mained strong and persisted with his agenda and consistently kept his promises to the American people. Why would I not support this man?” Once she made the decision to journey Please see Patriot page 14A COVID-19 Update Monday, January 18 Number of Confirmed Cases/Hospitalizations/ Deaths (Cumulative from March 2020) Toombs County. 2504/149/68 Montgomery County. 630/35/13 Treutlen County. 517/43/14 Wheeler County. 423/30/19 Meadows Regional Medical Center COVID-19 Patient Census Monday, January 18:27 COVID patients in-house COVID admissions over the last seven days, 1-11-21 to 1-17-21): 13 Area Home Sales Over $90M By Mike Branch Sports Editor sports 7 advance@gmail. com The Altamaha Basin Board of Realtors (ABBR) handed out the awards for the 2020 year in December and even with a year full of uncertainty and COVID people were still buying and selling homes, and the local brokers proved that they have the experience to weather the storms. The top selling broker across the ABBR was Tom Peterson Realtors with over $20 million in home sales. They were followed very closely by Brown Re alty who also crossed the $20 million threshold, and Lovins Realty was in third place. Sara Brown from Brown Realty was the top selling agent with over $ 16 million in sales. She was followed by Stephanie Ca- palbo with over $9 million and then Maggie Brice Snell with over $7 mil lion. Charles Tapley also crossed over $7 million in sales on the year. Two other agents passed $5 million in sales, Victoria Bateman and Please see Sales page 3A V TOM N PETERSON, INC. REALTORS i 1 V | | ggjjggjp Slot, [1 F ! y. I J r f jfl VVjuKjl 1 njj HT JB-, / Photo by Mike Branch NUMBER ONE SELLERS - Tom Peterson Realtors was named top Real Estate Company for 2020 by the Altamaha Basin Board of Realtors. The number one sales agents responsible for the accomplishment are pictured left to right, Greg McKenzie, Jr., Ann Todd, Pat Mitchell, Rob Roulan, Chris Kight, Tom Peterson, Jimmy Dixon, Nancy Peterson, Karen Clark and Billy Clark. # Appling Healthcare Weight Loss & Wellness Weight loss visits starting at $45, every other month! 1702A Meadows Lane | Vidalia, GA | 30474 | (912)705-4905